Process for manufacturing plastic mass.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARMY GEIPEL, OF PLAUEN IN VOGTLAND, GERMANY.

PROCESS FOR MANUFACTURING PLASTIC MASS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 26, 1905.

Application filed July 5, 1904:. Serial No. 215,375- (Specimena) To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARMY GEIPEL, a factory engineer, and a subject ofthe King of Saxony, residing in the city of Plauen in Vogtland, Kingdomof Saxony, and German Empire, have invented a certain new and usefulProcess for Manufacturing a Plastic Mass, of which the following is aspecification.

The invention has reference to a process for manufacturing a substancewhich may assume any desired shape by casting and subsequent drying andhardened to such an extent that it may be employed for manufacturingobjects of daily use of different kind, such as buttons and the like.

The process consists in the treatment with alkali of the bast or innerbark of the calabash or monkey-bread tree, Which abounds in Africa. Thistreatment with alkali is effected, preferably, by heating and boiling.This causes a pulp-like substance to separate from the bast. Thispulp-like substance is separated from the bast or inner barkby Washingthe same and is then retained on filters. The

wet paste-like mass obtained can be cast and pressed to any possibleshape and it then becomes hard and resistant in drying. It may thereforebe employed for manufacturing objects of daily use of any kind. Thus bythe process described there may be manufactured, for instance, buttons,electrical supplies, calender-rollers, pulleys, handles for I tools,floor-coverings, Wall-coverings, pedestals, and the like.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is

1. The process of manufacturing a hard and resistant mass, whichconsists in separating the pulp-like mass resulting from the treatmentof the bast of the monkey-bread tree (Adrmsom'a L) and similar plantswith alkali, preferably at an elevated. temperature, from the fibers ofthe bast by Washing, pressing the mass into any desired shape and dryingthe same; substantially as described.

2. As a new composition of matter. a dry and resisting mass composed ofthe cellular pulp-like mass of the bast of the monkeybread tree andsimilar plants; substantially as described.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of tWosubscribing Witnesses.

ARMY GEIPEL.

Witnesses:

HERMANN LoUIs GEIPEL,

lURT GUSTAV PRAGER.

